Cartridge fuse holder and ejector



y 1935- M J. LEWifj CARTRIDGE FUSE HOLDER AND EJECTOP.

Filed June 1, 1932 INVENTOR- pi/ A j 7/09 mwwwm ATTORNEYS Patented July 23, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2,009,235 CARTRIDGE FUSE HOLDER AND EJECTOR Morgan J. Lewis, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Code Electric Products Corporation, York, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 1, 1932, Serial No. 614,720

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to fuse holders or clamping devices for connecting cartridge fuses in electrical circuits, and has for its object to provide an ejector in conjunction with the holder '5 which permits the cartridge to be quickly and easily removed and which obviates the danger of the operator contacting a circuit terminal in performing this operation.

A more specific object of the present inventionis to provide a device enabling a cartridge fuse to be wholly expelled from the circuit ter-- minal clips with suflicient velocity to carry it out of-tlfie usual switch box oreject it from the depression in the porcelain block in which a fuse of this type and their circuit terminals are frequently mounted. 7 Another object of the invention is to provide a cartridge fuse holder and ejector, which is effective in operation, simple in construction, and low in cost of manufacture. I v v In 1 carrying out my invention in' its broad aspect I provide an ejector element associated with a fuse clip and which is preferably in the form of a lever or crank journalled beneath a fuse and having an arm or actuator extending outwardly at one side of the fuse in a position where it is readily accessible and by a relatively slight movement itwill cause the cartridge to be elevated to a position of disengagement on its holding clip. In furtherance of this idea and adapting it to the approved method of mounting cartridge fusesin two circuit terminal clips which support it at its two endsQI provide two such cranks, one in the bottomof each clip, and connect them for simultaneous action so that the two ends of the cartridge are raised together and freed from their respective clips.

In the preferred form of my invention the connection between the two cranks is made by a bar 40 extending lengthwise beneath the cartridge, which bar by its movement parallel to the normal axis of the cartridge engages its ends to raise them simultaneously. In expelling the cartridge I com- ;bine the action of the ejector with the spring action of the two arms or sides of the clips, so as to allow these arms to impart a velocity to the cartridge as their ends move inwardly toward eachother while in contact withthe curved surface of the cartridge. The invention is therefore particularly applicable to fuse holders mounted in fuse boxes or the like and where electrical equipment involves mounting the fuse in a position in which it is not readily accessible. Another advantage of the inventionresides in that several fuse holders may be mounted in compact association with the other parts of electrical equipments. I

The invention will be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a profile view of a meter switch box having a portion broken away showing in cross-section a fuse box installed therein; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the fuse box, but enlarged to more clearly illustrate its interior parts; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary crosssectional view of the fuse box taken on the plane indicated by the line 3 --3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the fuse box taken on the plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, with a fuse shown properly installed in its clamp; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the fuse box taken on the plane indicated by the line 5 -5 of Fig. 3, with the fuse shown in the act of being ejected from its clip; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fuse holding and ejecting parts.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated,

the cartridge fuse holder and ejector is shown associated with a switch box I (Fig. 1), such as used in conjunction with house lighting circuits and other electric circuits. This switch box has an opening 2 providing access to a fuse block 4 usually made of porcelain or other insulating material. The latter is usually recessed to provide compartments for several fuses, one being shown in the drawing. The switch box is equipped with a hinger cover or door 2a adapted to close the opening 2. The switch block 4 here shown for illustrative purposes is movable into and out of cooperative relation with the opening 2 upon the opening and closing of the circuit switch and to this end it is pivotally supported on the arm 5 and carries the knife blade 6 of the switch. These two elements comprise conductors which are secured to the back of the block 4 and provide circuit connections to the fuse holders or clips. An arcuate metal apron 8 is attached to the edges of the fuse block 4 and is adapted to close the opening 2 when said knife switch is in closed position.

Cartridge fuses are provided with caps or terminals 9 at their ends, which engage between the arms of the spring conducting clips. In carrying out my invention, I may employ the usual spring clips, but for the purpose of illustration I prefer to use a special form of terminal clip designated generally by the numeral I0. clip is of identical design at the two ends of the fuse and comprises oppositely disposed arms having arcuate portions Illa which embrace opposite sides of the fuse. In the embodiment of the invcntion illustrated, the two clips are disposed in This the compartment H of the fuse block 4, their center or base portions Nib being secured to the bottom of the block by screws i2 and cooperating nuts M. The latter also serve to provide mechanical and electrical connection with the conductors 5 and 6. Endwise displacement of the cartridge '1 is prevented by the bent-in end portions Iflc, onebeingformed on each clip arm.

I form the arms of each clip it so as to include further side portions Hid of appreciable height connecting the base till) and the arcuate portions Illa respectively. At the outer extremities of the spring arms I provide lips or flanges lfle which flare outwardly, these portions on each pair of arms being divergent. The two clips it thus formed are rigidly mounted in alinement in spaced relation and form circuit terminals and comprise the fuse holder. At the bottom of the holder is placed the fuse ejector l5 which in this instance comprises a rod of insulating material preferably rectangular in cross-section and having a length substantially equal to that of the fuse. The rod I5 is pivoted at its ends on the center portion of U shaped members or doublecranks l6, the extremities of which are bent out.- wardly and pivotally engage in openings formed in-the side portions 59d of the clip arms. These members l6 may be made of wire, of suitable cross-section, bent into the shape described. The pivots for the members it are similarly located in each clip 10, and the distance between them is made equal to the distance between pivotal points in the rod l5. Consequently (assuming the rod IE to be initially disposed within the interior spaces provided by the side portions Hid), when either one of the members it is rotated, the rod i5 is caused'to swing outwardly parallelly to the axis of the cartridge 1. For imparting this mo. tion to the rod 55, an actuating lever H is formed on one end of one of the members It. In the illustration, this lever 7 is shown associated with the crank arm N5 of the lower ,clipl0, and is so disposed at one side of the cartridge that outward motion of the rod i5 is caused by a downward pull on said lever. The latter and the mem.- ber IE, to which it is attached, may be made of a single piece of wire of suitable cross-section.

In Fig. 4 the cartridge 'iis shown held in its normal operating position, with the ejector 15 also in its normal position of rest, a slight clearance space being provided between the cartridge and the ejector. Movement of the lever H .outward-1y will cause the rod I5 in its travel to move ,the cartridge '1 outwardly as shown in Fig. 5.

--ment is accelerated by the divergent end portions we in sliding contact with its cylindrical surface,

causing "it to travel a substantial distance away from the clips or circuit terminals.

Erom'the foregoing description it is apparent that a comparatively short movement of the, lever I! will cause the cartridge 1 to be displaced entirely from compartment ll of a circuit terminal block, as illustrated schematically by the arrows and dotted lines in Fig. 1. The compartment H in which the cartridge is operatively positioned in a single clip and discharged therefrom by utilizing one of the U shaped crank arms to move it a sufiicient distance to disengage it; also that,

if two clips are employed, a single crank arm will be suffi cient to disengage one end from one of the clips. The cartridge will then occupy an inclined position, and its free end may be easily engaged by the operators fingers and the fuse readily removed from the other clip. In'practice I have also found that the two crank arms l6 may be made to differ slightly in radius "or be differently pivoted on their connecting rod L5 and that such an arrangement will cause one'end of the cartridge to becompletely disenga ed from its clip while the other end is only partly dis.- engaged from the other clip, with the result that the inward movement or closing action of the spring arms of the first-mentioned clip --w i1l cause the then free end of the cartridge to describe a circular path so that the cartrid e w ll r ect outwardly substantially at right angles to its n al p s ei restra n d a a nstoom p te di d mentby retenti n of the olin iro which the other end was only partially disenr caged. In this position th oper or may readily grasp the cartridge and remove it.

If desired, when one becomes familiar with th peration of th d v e, the a trid e need not be fu y ejected in th manner sot iorth; bu its velocity may be checked and the cartridge caught by one hand, as it is ejected by the action oi the ope a ing lever ef t d by the her h n All-- t r m e of operati n i to place the thumb and fir fi r a a st th ca t id e to s t y esist its o w d mo m nt a d th n sim pic he ar id e of t e t mina cl p whe it has b en xp ll by the co n d mov m nt of the ejector and spring force of the clips acting against the l we s e o t e us It is understood that various modifications of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the dr win and d s ib d he e ca b m d without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: I V I A ca t id e u e ho de nd c or oo pris ne two spri clips hav ng side p tions adapted to grip opposite sides of a cartridge at ts two end tw c a k arms dis os d t m d e the s de p rt ons ofthe s e tive cl below the ca idge, d eans f imultan ously moving and operating said arms to disengage the ends of the cartridge from said clips.

2. In a car r d fuse h der and ejector. the combination with two spaced spring clips having opposite portions for gripping the sides of a cartridge at its ends, of two. U shaped members pivoted intermediate said side portions at the bottoms of the respective clips, and means for simultaneously rotating said member-S to cause them to simultaneously displace there vspective ends of the cartridge.

3 A cartridge fuse holder and ejector compr ing a p f a d and s c d sp i c ips ha in opp te p n f g ppi g the s de of a cartr d at i s end w U shaped mom bers pivoted on the bottom extremities of the side portions of the respective clips, a connecting element pivoted to the U shaped members to cause their simultaneous movement, and an actuator for rotating one of the U shaped members to cause the displacement of the two ends of the cartridge from their engagement with said clips.

4. A cartridge fuse holder and ejector comprising a pair of alined and spaced spring clips 10 having side portions adapted to grip opposite sides of a cartridge at its ends, two crank arms pivoted intermediate the side portions of the respective clips beneath the cartridge, a bar connecting the crank arms to cause their simultaneous movement, and a lever on one of said cranks accessible at one side of the fuse for operating said crank arms and bar to cause displacement of the cartridge from said clips.

MORGAN J. LEWIS. 

